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A dark restaurant space with pasta on a marble table and red chair beyond.
Burro e salvia from Bottega Angelina.
Andrea D’Agosto

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A New Italian Stunner Shakes Up South Orange County

With luxe ingredients, hillside views of the ocean, and a standalone cafe and marketplace, the new Bottega Angelina is a big deal for Laguna Niguel.

There’s always money in pizza, pasta, and wine; just ask the folks behind Angelina’s Pizzeria Napoletana. That longstanding restaurant group, known for its blistered pies and fine-casual ambiance, is branching out next week with a stunner of a new space at Laguna Niguel’s Ocean Ranch Village called simply Bottega Angelina.

Owners Shokoufeh and Filippo Fusco have completely overhauled this 10,000 square foot space (3,000 of which is outdoors) with guidance from Kelly Architects (Tatel, Soulmate, Gucci Osteria) and Shawmut Design and Construction . Together they’ve opened up the possibilities of what a restaurant can and should feel like in 2021, peeling back walls to showcase ocean views and dousing the main dining room in gold-tinted, blue-tinged opulence. The entire tan and taupe-toned property offers some 350 seats, including an on-site cafe and marketplace for retail items, coffee drinks, and takeaway goods and pastries.

The menu is still being pulled together for the formal opening next week, but expect options from across the Italian spectrum. There will be pizzas, of course, some with touches of truffle on top, plus pastas, simple starters like prosciutto and pickled figs, and plenty of desserts and cocktails to go around.

Overseeing the restaurant side is chef Aaron Zimmer, the group’s director of culinary operations, and executive chef Filippo Piccini, who hails from Tuscany and spent years working at Michelin-level restaurants across Italy. Rebekah Eastman is on as executive pastry chef (after working at places like the St. Regis in Dana Point and Bourbon Steak), while Piedmont-born Vittorio Homberger runs the room and wines as general manager.

The new Bottega Angelina opens wide November 3 at 32441 Golden Lantern in Laguna Niguel, with dinner hours to start. Check Instagram for the restaurant’s extension into all-day hours, which should come in a few weeks.

A wooden table with a pizza that holds cheese and truffles.
Burrata tartufata.
A white marble table and round white plate with ham drizzling in oil.
Prosciutto and pickled figs.
An upscale version of tiramisu dessert with gold leaf and a swipe.
Tiramisu for dessert.
A light purple and lime green cocktail pair both in collins glasses on a gold table.
A side view of a wooden marketplace with pastries and take home goods on display.
The marketplace.
A side view of an open, airy space with TV, fireplace, and bar with gold chairs.
The open lounge area and bar.
A tall wide view of wooden tables and blue booths in a dining room.
The dining room.
A shaded lounge area with a fireplace on a restaurant patio.
A portion of the patio space.
A wide view of the outside of a home that doubles as a restaurant, on a hill, backed by blue sky.

Bottega Angelina

32441 Golden Lantern, , CA 92677 (949) 542-8220 Visit Website
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